Cruise Tip: How To Enjoy an Empty Carnival WaterWorks!!!

When is the best time to enjoy the Carnival Waterworks??? When no one is on the ship!

Sea days seem the perfect time to enjoy the waterslides and water play area… right? Well, that is what everyone thinks! So they are packed and the lines for the slides can be incredibly long. We made an executive decision for our family that we would choose one port day each cruise to not have an excursion planned. We get off the ship at our leisure and enjoy a few hours in the port and then get back on before everyone else does to enjoy lunch on a near empty ship and hit the waterslides!

This has worked out perfectly for our family as we get to go on the slides over and over… and over again. We actually have to catch our breath sometimes in between slides… Have you ever counted how many steps you have to climb to get to the top??? Here’s a hint… it’s A LOT!!! On earlier cruises, we maybe were able to slide once or twice and then gave up because we were tired of waiting in the lines. But now, we slide until our heart’s content or until we are just too tired of climbing the stairs.

Waterworks on the Carnival Dream

The Carnival Dream is part of the Dream class of ships which also includes the Magic and the Breeze. These ships all have a fantastic water park including multiple slides and other fun features. There are two big slides on each of these ships. The Twister is an enclosed tube slide which is very long and has many twists and turns. The Drain Pipe is an enclosed tube slide also but is much shorter and shoots you out at an incredible speed into a huge bowl. Both are super fun!!! On the Dream, they are both yellow and dark blue in color, but these colors vary by ship as well. What is really cool going down the slide is that the yellow areas are dark and the blue areas are light… when you are going through at a fast pace you will be in darkness, then light, then darkness, then light all the way down.

The other slides and water park features will vary by ship. The Dream has two sets of racing slides, one for big kids and one for the wee little ones. It was fun watching my big kids (all teenagers) try to race on the little racer slide. Don’t worry, the area was empty so they were not displacing any little ones. Me and my husband even gave it a try.

The water play area has a bright blue bottom which is cool on the feet and has an inch or two of water all around. There is also water squirting from pipes all over the park and even fountains shooting up from the ground. You WILL get wet just walking through here!

All around the water park is comfortable plastic seating and large umbrellas for shade. So if you just need a break from playing or if you are parents keeping an eye on your kids, there is a perfect spot to rest.

Follow the Rules…

A few of the rules for the big slides are:
1. One person at a time – and this is strictly enforced as one employee is at the top of the slides and waits for a cue from the employee at the bottom to give the all-clear before another rider can go
2. No children under 42”
3. Do not block the end of the slide – so get off and out of the way when you are finished so the next person can slide
4. Must go feet first – though I must say this one is not strictly enforced…
5. Wait for the signal from the attendant before sliding

Super secret benefit of slides on a port day…

Well, it’s really not that secret but is something we really enjoy… The entrance to the slide is the highest point on the ship and OH MY GOSH THE VIEW!!! You can see a great distance from up here and are able to view the island/port in great detail from this vantage point. So be sure to bring your camera (preferably waterproof) when you make your trek up to the top of the slides to capture this view forever!

What about the pools???

Well, they are pretty empty too! When we get our fill of the water slides, we grab a bite to eat – because we have worked up quite an appetite climbing all of those stairs – and hit the pool on Lido. Luckily you have two fantastic options for Guy’s Burgers or Blue Iguana Cantina. And guess what? The lines are non-existent for these too!

So you want to take those fun underwater shots of your kids without a thousand people in the pool? Or do you want a soak with your hubby without a bunch of kids doing cannonballs? Now is the time to do it! We did both!!! There were literally a handful of people in there with us. I have NEVER seen the Lido pool so empty before!

Don’t forget your sunscreen!!!

If a picture says a thousand words, then a video says a million! Here is the video from our experience:

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Welcome to EECC Travels!
We are a family of five – Alisa, Jason, Ethan, Cameron & Colby – who love adventure and sharing our journeys through this blog and our YouTube channel. Get to know our family and come along on our travels!